The Beginning of the End
by Tamie K
Summary: Julie finds herself on Bate's most-wanted list, and Donovan worried about her state of mind. December 1984
1. Refugee

The Christmas celebration was over and the orphans were placed in homes throughout Los Angeles County. Ornaments and garland were packed in cardboard boxes that sat atop of the ratty old couch in the basement of the Club Creole. Mike Donovan wound gold garland around in a circle and placed it inside of a box. A pair of female freedom fighters, Robin Maxwell, and Juliet Parrish, emerged from the women's sleeping area. With dark circles around her eyes, Julie looked as though she'd seen better days. Donovan knew she was upset at being displaced from her apartment, in the wake of her exposure as a resistance member by Nathan Bates' henchmen. During Los Angeles' open city agreement, Julie had kept none of her personal belongings at the Club Creole. Now forced to go underground, she didn't have a change of clothes or the personal hygiene stuff she used daily.

Donovan took pity on her depressed state and wanted to help. He lifted a box from the couch and carried it over to the stairway that led to the alley.

"Julie, why don't we go for a ride?" he asked.

"You think it's safe?" she said, sounding as though she doubted it herself.

"You're always safe with me." He flashed his best knowing grin. But Julie didn't smile back at him. In fact, her eyes brimmed with tears.

He pulled her into his arms, but she kept her arms down at her side and was tense at his touch.

"Aw, c'mon. Everything's going to be okay," he tried to reassure her.

It was Robin who gave him the smile, and not Julie.

"She's just worried, Mike," Robin said.

Julie backed away out of Donovan's reach and he let go of her.

He tried to play off his concern for the questionable status of their relationship. "You don't want to go underground, huh?"

"I need my things," she huffed.

"Well, let's go get them?"

"You don't think Bates is having my apartment staked out?"

"I'll take care of it." He winked.

"Are you going to bring some friends along to help?"

"No, I thought maybe we could go alone. Just the two of us."

"That actually sounds romantic," Robin remarked.

Donovan couldn't tell whether the girl was being sarcastic, but the look on Julie's face said she didn't share Robin's point of view.

"I'm serious," he told Julie.

"We'll arm ourselves in case there's anyone there."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

"I'll let Ham know we're going." He headed toward the men's sleeping area.

The Fixer (Ham Tyler) was seated on a cot cleaning an array of shiny daggers with a cloth.

Chris Faber, who'd recently rejoined the resistance, was setting up a cot adjacent to Ham's.

"I'm taking Julie to get her things," Donovan announced, not that he was looking for permission, but felt the need to inform Ham of his intentions, just in case…

"You'll need backup," Chris said.

"We'll be fine."

"You're taking Julie to get her things, or wanting some one on one time with her?" Ham cracked a grin.

"A little of both." Donovan stuffed a Colt .45 into his holster, and tucked a laser pistol under his leather vest.

"How you two doin'?" Chris asked.

"Dunno… yet."


	2. Supply Run

Instead of making a right on 1st street, Donovan took a left, heading toward Interstate 110. Julie sat in the passenger seat, wearing a dark wig, trying to figure out his logic. She'd wanted her belongings from her apartment, but he seemed to have an agenda of his own. She knew the route he was taking very well. He was taking her to his home in Echo Park. Why the diversion? Had he seen something on 1st street that made him turn in the opposite direction? Or was there something he needed from his place?

With police barricades set up at random entrances, I-110 was notorious for car checks. The police in Los Angeles sought out violators of the "Open City Law," seeking weapons which were not allowed to be carried within the city limits. But that didn't stop Julie from keeping her HK 9S in her purse, or Donovan from packing his Colt .45. Now both wanted criminal's neither felt safe, within city limits.

Julie watched Donovan's glove clad hands grip the steering wheel as he made a right on Grand Avenue. "Where are we going?" she asked as if she didn't know.

"My place," he said with a smug grin.

"That wasn't the plan."

"We'll go by your apartment later. Maybe there won't be anyone around."

"Maybe they'll be expecting me to come back in the middle of the night when it's dark and we wouldn't think anyone's around," she said. "Turn the car around."

Donovan didn't follow her order; instead he made a left turn on Caesar E. Chavez Avenue.

"You have some things at my place too."

"Like what a negligee?" she said in a low tone, showing her annoyance at his selfishness.

Sex. They hadn't had it in over a month.

"Um well, let's see." Donovan grinned, taking her left hand in his right. He kissed a few fingertips. "You left a pair of Guess blue jeans at my house last summer… and then there's that Dodger's T-Shirt I bought you… and a ball cap… a pretty little strapless dress I took you out dancing in." He kissed her wrist. "And there's a sexy bathing suit you swam with in my pool…"

"All of which would make a great wardrobe for a resistance fighter. Which one do you think I should wear in our next combat?"

"The ball cap."

"By itself?"

"Umm hmm. Nothing else."

"Pervert," she hissed, jerking her hand away. "Do I have any other items at your place?"

"A few pair… lacey panties, a bra maybe, I do believe."

"_You _would remember that."

"You think I'm a jerk for remembering what garments my girlfriend left at my house. Unless, you don't consider yourself my girlfriend anymore and I shouldn't have those things."

Her stomach knotted. It was just as she suspected, he didn't care so much about helping her get some items from her apartment, as he did getting her alone so they could discuss the status of their relationship. What the hell did he expect, with him being a fugitive and her being stalked by Mr. Chiang? Getting alone together these past few months had been nearly impossible. Making love on the couch at the Club Creole was never that enjoyable, well for him it might have been. But Julie had been paranoid someone would walk in on them.

Things weren't like they used to be between her and Donovan. Trying to have a relationship with him in the middle of this war had become a joke.

So what, he wanted to sleep with her tonight, try to hang on to something that was difficult. And then what, maybe in a few months, weeks or if they were lucky enough to find some alone time again, they'd do it again, and continue to wonder how long they could hold onto one another.

"You don't want to comment on that?" Donovan asked.

"What, that I don't consider myself your girlfriend anymore?"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him nod.

"Do you still love me, Mike?"

"That's not what I asked you!"

"Well, shouldn't it be a factor?"

"You think don't?... I hate the way it's been between us lately."

"Me too."

"Well, at least we agree on something," he said, making a left on Marion Avenue. "You never tell me you love me anymore either, Julie."

"Well forgive me, I've had a lot to deal with lately." Her shoulders began to tense and she wished she hadn't allowed Donovan to talk her into making this trip.

Donovan took her hand again, and held it to his lips. "I know you have, Sweetheart. We've got to find a way to spend more time together. Maybe we can make a supply run to New York or something, just the two of us."

He'd spoken of it in the past, as if a week's getaway would solve everything. But Julie knew that when they returned to L.A., things would go back the same, maybe worse… with the entire resistance unit now residing in the basement of the Club Creole, they wouldn't have the couch to themselves again.

Donovan soon pulled the car into his driveway, withdrew his gun from its holster and stepped out of the vehicle, proceeding to the front door with caution. Julie stayed close behind him with her own pistol drawn.


	3. Bath Time

After checking the house for booby-traps and uninvited guests, Julie followed Donovan into his bedroom. He didn't hesitate to grab hold of her, and _try_ to kiss her.

_Why you brought me here_, Julie reminded herself. But she had other plans and wasn't certain if entertaining Donovan for the next however long it would take were part of her agenda...

"Do you still have running water?"

"Yeah."

His lips were wet and warm against her neck. She felt the goose bumps rising.

"Can I take a bath?"

He drew away and looked at her, puzzled.

"Sure, but I don't think _we'd _enjoy a cold bath. The gas was shut off last month." He tried to steal a kiss.

She darted her mouth out of his aim. "Not _we_. _Me_. I need to shave my legs."

She hadn't had the time at the HQ, with her fellow comrades vying for use of the single downstairs bathroom in the mornings.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," Donovan murmured, then planted a kiss on her cheek. "You won't make me wait too long, will you?"

"Will you find my things, bring me some underwear and clothes to put on?"

"Why? You plan on leaving soon?"

With a shake of the head, she padded toward the bathroom, and wondered how long he'd let her stay inside without interrupting her.

Julie filled the bath about half way. The water was cold, but not too cold. She undressed and stuck her right leg in the tub, then lathered on some of Donovan's shaving crème and used a single-headed yellow razor to smooth away the prickly hairs that had started to form. It wasn't long before Donovan opened the door and laid a long robe on the counter, then popped out of the room. Julie lifted the robe and checked underneath for a pair of underwear. He'd brought neither it nor a bra. And as Julie shaved both legs over the next few minutes, she expected Donovan to return and bring her clothes, but he didn't. She stepped into the stream of cold water emanating from the shower head, letting the water hit her midsection, but not her hair. She didn't want to deal with stuffing wet hair under a wig.

She lathered her arm pits and shaved them, thinking about the precious time her lover thought she was wasting, and how impatient he was.

"I thought you were just going to shave your legs," Donovan complained from outside the door.

"I changed my mind."

"Well let me know when you're ready."

"Did you find my clothes?"

"They're on my dresser, but you're not getting them anytime soon."

_Damn you_, she thought. He was making a game of it. He wouldn't give her what _she_ wanted until she gave him what _he_ wanted. To spite him, she took her time in the shower. After she was done washing herself, she continued to let the water run for several minutes and just sat on the edge of the tub, wrapped in a towel.

Donovan returned to the door.. "Are you alive in there?"

"Oh, I'm just taking my time, relaxing. I won't get the chance to at base." She smiled.

"How much _time_ do you think _we_ have?"

"If you'll just bring me my clothes, I'll get ready and we can leave for my place."

"You want to leave soon?"

"Why wouldn't we?" She reached for the plush robe, put it on, then wrapped its sash around her torso.

"I don't know Julie, you tell me."

He was angry. She snickered, then opened the door and eyed him. "What are you disappointed or something?"

He set his jaw. "I brought you here so we could spend time together. I thought we needed it. Apparently, _you_ don't."

"You brought me here to have sex with me." She hurried to his room. "Well, c'mon Mike. Let's get it over with."

"Over with?" He followed her. "That's not the response I was-"

Julie shrugged the robe from her shoulders and let it hit the floor. Donovan's eyes grew wide.


	4. Love Unrequited

a/n: Don't hate me for this scene. You knew it had to come :)

* * *

After trying his damndest, to make love to Julie, Donovan lay in his bed, holding her, but in spite of being this close to her she felt a million miles away. He'd wanted to connect with her on some spiritual level, but it was like what just occurred didn't matter to her.

Julie lay there with her cheek pressed against his chest. Donovan wished they could just go to sleep, and he'd try again in the morning. A fear made it's unpleasant way into his mind.

_I'm losing her…_

He felt the warmth of her tears against his skin and caressed her shoulder, in hopes she might say what she was feeling, what was upsetting her. Instead, Julie sat up on the edge of the bed.

_"What time is it?"_

_Same crap as earlier_, he thought. "Why, are you in a hurry to leave or something?"

She took her clothes off his dresser, a pair of Guess jeans, a Dodgers Tee shirt, a pair of underwear and a bra. "If we don't get back soon, the others will be worried."

"The others?" he snapped. "What about us, Julie?"

"I gave you what you wanted."

_Unbelievable. She thinks I used her. _"What I wanted? What the _hell_ does that mean?"

She slipped on her panties, then bra, then the Dodger's T-shirt he'd bought for her, not that she even liked baseball, but there used to be a day when she'd accompany him to ball game with him just to spend time together. Now, he wasn't so sure she wanted to be with him.

"Let's go, Mike. I don't…" She swallowed, as a few more tears escaped from her eyes. "…feel like arguing with you now."

Donovan thrust the sheet aside and went to her. "There wasn't supposed to be another argument." He took her in his arms again. "I just made love to you. I still love you."

"I know." She winced.

"It's like you weren't even there though." He cupped her chin under his hand, and looked into her eyes. They glazed over with tears. "I'd keep you here as long is it took to make things better, if it'd help."

She reached for her blue jeans. "I don't think it will."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can do this anymore." Her voice cracked.

"Sleep with me?" He said, knowing it wasn't what she meant. She wanted to end their relationship, and with that revelation his heart ached. He wished he could turn back time, and none of their differences had happened, that they'd had more time to spend together.

"No… us." She confirmed his nightmare.

"What, you don't love me?"

A few seconds of her silence only added to his anguish. He hated breakups, especially when he knew he loved a woman. Unlike his last relationship, with Kristine Walsh, which was mostly sexual, he loved Julie. He'd wanted to have children with her, and marry her… Do all the things that normal couples do together when they weren't fighting a war together. But nothing was normal about their relationship or the world in which they lived.

"No," she whispered. "I do, but not the way you need me to."

It felt like grade school, back when he'd ask a girl if they liked him, and she'd respond with, "I don't like you, like you. I just like you as a friend." His throat contracted and his eyes started to water. He didn't want her to see him cry. He'd no longer express how much she'd meant to him, if it was really ending between them.

_God… it is…_

He wanted to beg her to reconsider… give her a week or two to change her mind. But knew time wouldn't help things. It seemed Julie was confused about a lot of things lately, not just their relationship. And he knew he could no longer try to comfort her, not even as the so-called "friend" she loved or didn't love anymore.

_Damn her…. I don't need her… _He dabbed his eyes. He wished she wasn't there to witness this, that they'd rode in separate vehicles. Now not only did they have to return to the HQ and act as if nothing happened, but before that, they needed to go to her apartment and get whatever the hell it was she thought she did need. He wondered how many of his belongings he'd left at her house last year. They'd be reminders of his presence in her life, if she had the time to go through her stuff.

He dressed himself, then picked up a duffel bag, full of clothes he'd packed while Julie was taking her bath.

"Finish getting ready," he said. "I'll meet you in the car."


	5. No Time to Mourn

Julie felt like she would throw up. The knots in her stomach, the queasiness…

She'd had to tell Donovan the truth. Well it wasn't the whole truth, she would've rather have written him a letter, but that wouldn't be fair to him.

Riding in the passenger seat of his car, she'd glance over at him now and then to see if he was okay. His glassy eyes and stoic expression told her that he wasn't and that he was fighting to keep back his tears. Looking at him, she felt his torment.

_I don't love you anymore, is such a callous thing to say to a person. And it's not completely true. But what are we supposed to do?_

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Donovan was such a good man and he'd tried so hard to keep their relationship together. They'd both held on, until the end. Julie thought of how he'd tried to make love to her, like in times past when there were no fears of being interrupted. But she just didn't feel connected to him like she used to. The fear of getting pregnant again, always seemed to ruin her mood. She didn't feel safe going back on the pill, and it was a known fact that the Visitors were tampering with condoms too, and diaphragms. Nothing was safe. And bringing a child into this war-torn world was out of the question. She suspected Diana was the culprit of men and women's' misery, the fear of intimacy, the fear of adding to the human population, only to feed a monstrous race.

She hadn't reminded Donovan that she wasn't on the pill this time. She'd just wanted the session to be over with. Now she felt foolish knowing that he could've protected her against pregnancy the old fashioned way.

What if she were pregnant? Would they get back together? How would they raise a child while underground? Keeping armor around an infant wouldn't be safe. Maybe if she did learn she was pregnant, a month or so from now, she'd have to contact Joe Akers to have an abortion.

_I hope I'm not pregnant…_

After Donovan parked his car, not in Julie's allotted spaces, but across the lot, in front of a different apartment, Julie put her wig on again. She scanned the parking lot for people, but could hardly see in the pitch blackness. As she approached the outside entry to her apartment building, she didn't notice any familiar cars from Science Frontiers. She entered the hallway outside her apartment clutching the small pistol in her pocket.

Donovan was right behind her, as they did a slow, but cautious promenade to her apartment door. Before unlocking the door, Julie looked up at him and saw his countenance had changed from mourning to seriousness. Donovan stepped past her and shoved the door open, police-style.

Julie knew she didn't dare turn on a light switch, and the illumination from her balcony window was little to see by. She scanned the living room. There was no one there except for her and Donovan, and he didn't leave her side, shielding her frame with his.

In the wake of breaking up with him, Julie couldn't imagine being his partner in battle. It'd be too awkward to work together. Maybe she could work with Kyle, and Donovan would work with Elizabeth.

Donovan led them to the kitchen. It was clear as well. Julie bent down and felt under the sink for a flashlight. It was time to check the closets, bedroom and bathroom for any intruders. On her way to the living room closet she heard glass crunch under her feet. She shone her flashlight at the floor, revealing a busted photo frame… hers and Donovan's photograph. Ahead of them, coming from her bedroom, was a trail of debris, as if a destructive cyclone had ripped through her apartment. She knew it was either Bates himself, or the spies he'd sent to check up on her. Without thinking, she hurried to her room and flipped on the light switch.

"Julie, no!"

She ignored Donovan's command, staring at the mess on her bedroom floor. Clothes on hangers lay scattered about. A filing cabinet overturned with papers all around. She realized Bates came for the scientific records she'd been keeping on Red Dust research. She'd xeroxed every report she'd ever made.

"Damn him," she said in a low whisper.

"This isn't protocol," Donovan muttered, flipping off the light switch.

Julie thought his action was in vain. If anyone had watched from the outside, they'd already seen the light come on once. She clicked it on again.

"You really want them to know we're here, don't you?" Donovan asked.

Julie picked through the pile of clothes, mingled with photographs and newspaper articles she'd kept on her and Donovan's military achievements during the first war.

If Bates came here, it was no longer a secret that she and Donovan had been a couple, given the way she'd kept mementos of their love for one another. She moved to the jewelry box, curious to see if anyone took the other things she'd held dear… An inherited cameo from her grandmother Amanda, in New York…. It'd been months since Julie had talked to her family. She couldn't even contact them for Christmas… And there was the gold chain with a heart pendant Donovan gave her to commemorate their togetherness. It was still there.

Julie realized she needed something to pack her things in. There was a suitcase in the closet and she grabbed it. Donovan watched her.

In the bottom of the closet, Julie found the certificate of graduation from U.C.L.A., her doctorate in biochemistry (Bates had paid for the completion of her education). The document reeked of Chanel perfume. Shards of glass from the bottle were embedded in the carpet.

Disgusted at the notion that Bates and his cronies would sac her apartment, violating her privacy, Julie fought to hold back her tears. But it was no use as they cascaded down her cheeks. She considered which of her belongings to pack first.

"Julie, Gooder. Are you in here?" Ham's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Julie laid her pistol down on the carpet as Ham entered the room. She didn't look at him.

"It's been four hours," Ham complained. "Everyone's waited up for you."

"Give her time," Donovan said. He pulled a box down from the top closet shelf, as if he knew the handbags iinside wouldn't be needed now, and he dumped its contents onto Julie's full-sized bed.

"Time?" Ham barked. "What the hell have you been doing?"

Julie wanted to get up and slap him for his insensitivity. With Ham, everything was always about getting stuff done in the quickest and most efficient way possible. And she didn't trust him to aid in transporting her belongings back to the HQ.

"Can it. No one asked you to come," Donovan said. He knelt down beside Julie with the empty box. "Tell me how to help."

Her eyes focused on the items before her, then clouded over again. "I don't know where to begin."

"Pick a spot and move it," said Ham. He grabbed her pile of hangers and clothes, mingled with papers and hefted them to the bed, on top of the purses Donovan had put there. Ham rummaged through her clothes, setting aside cocktail dresses, she wouldn't need in battle.

"These fit?" He held up a pair of wrinkled, rayon pants.

Angered by his nerve, thinking he could help her decide what was important, she got up and snatched them away from him. "Give me those!"

"Maybe you should go back to headquarters and wait for us," Donovan suggested.

Julie was grateful.

"I've brought Chris and Kyle along to help," Ham said.

_Great_, thought Julie. "I don't want their help. I need you guys to leave."

"And how much longer do you plan on taking?" Ham demanded.

"As long as she wants," said Donovan, grabbing him by the shirt collar. He shoved him into the living room. But Ham threw a punch in Donovan's jaw.

Overwhelmed by the chaos, Julie slouched to the floor and couldn't control her tears.

The sound of a heavy object crashing to the floor, came from the other room. She guessed Donovan had knocked Ham into her television set. She wiped her eyes, trying to see again, and started sorting through her possessions.


	6. Wounded

The burning pain of a gash in the back of his head from being thrown into Julie's 19 inch RCA television set, was nothing to distract Donovan from the agony of losing her. Ham had managed to throw a few more punches while Donovan was still on the floor, unable to defend himself. He was certain he had a broken nose.

It was Chris who'd separated the two men, and Julie had stayed in her room the whole time packing.

She'd usually been the one to intervene during a brawl, but not this time.

"Julie," Chris called. "We've got to get going. Donovan really needs your attention."

_Don't tell her that_, Donovan thought, knowing he was the last person she'd want to attend to medically. Pushing himself up off the floor he stood, then headed to the small bathroom, and stuck his head in the sink to rinse of the blood.

"What's going on?" he heard Julie ask, and knew she'd come out from her room.

"Gooder threw a punch at me," Ham said.

"Well maybe you deserved it," she muttered. A few seconds later, she was by Donovan's side.

He didn't pick his head up to look at her as he rubbed his hand through the stickiest part of his hair.

"Oh god…. You'd better let me take a look at that."

He felt the warmth of her hand, pushing his aside. With her other hand, she shut off the tap.

"I need you to sit on the commode," she said.

He raised his head, which only enhanced the pain, like a dizzying ache. Bracing himself on the counter, he moved toward the toilet as Julie searched in the cabinet for supplies. Donovan watched her open a red plastic box, containing antiseptic wipes, some bandages and other items, but nothing that would efficiently close the wound.

He looked into her red, glassy eyes as she went to work, inspecting the wound. He felt a feeling of déjà vu, and reflected on the first time they met. She'd done the same thing, inspecting a head injury that wasn't nearly as bad as this one. He thought of the stubborn and courageous woman he'd grown to love that year, and how he'd started to imagine spending the rest of his days with her and Sean by his side.

She wadded a towel and pressed it to the back of his head firmly. "I need you to hold it there until we get back to base."

He did as he was commanded, hoping the bleeding would subside so he wouldn't need her to give him stitches. It was the last thing he wanted, her to have to dote on him when he knew the best thing for them would be time apart.

Ham moved in behind Julie. "I've got Chris and Kyle putting your stuff in the van. You need to hurry."

Julie whirled on him. "Dammit, Tyler. Why do you always have to interfere? You think you know what's best, but you're really an insensitive ass. You know that?" She stormed past him. After what, Donovan was unsure.

He caught Ham's gaze, and thought maybe for a second he'd apologize for the fight, but Ham focused his verbal assault to Julie instead.

"You were supposed to get your things and come right back!" he yelled.

"Leave her alone, Ham," Donovan said, his eyes glazing over with tears. "Go back to base."

Ham looked as though he was about to retort, but Donovan's tears had caught him off guard. He paused for a few seconds then said, "I'm giving you an hour, then your butts better be back there."

_Or what?_ Donovan stood, knowing that he and Julie wouldn't need an hour. They'd leave momentarily as well.


	7. Lack of Privacy

The army cot squeaked under Julie as she turned again. She'd tossed and turned for the past couple hours, unable to sleep. Extreme emotions from yesterday evening lingered in her mind. She wrestled with doubts and what if's and the finality of her decision.

Maybe she'd done it in haste. Maybe she was just frustrated with her life in general, and took it out on Donovan. She'd dared to say she'd always love him as a friend, but knew it was more than that. He meant more than that. And she hoped in the coming weeks the feelings of regret would subside.

Aside from her love for Donovan, she now worried for his physical condition. The gash caused by Ham only took three stitches, but instead of resting as Julie had advised, Donovan had taken the remaining beer, salvaged from the tap upstairs, and went outside on the back alley steps to "think." Julie hated the thought that he would drink until he passed out outside, where he could be spotted by troopers and captured. And she hated the fact that she was mostly the cause of his anguish. A part of her wanted to go out there and apologize, tell him that she was wrong for ending their relationship… Say that she still cared and wanted to try and make it work in spite of the odds against them.

She'd never become Mrs. Michael Donovan, the second… Not that she'd intended to use his last name if they'd wed anyway. It had just felt awkward being the second of anybody…

A pain settled in her neck, and she took her pillow and tried to fluff it.

"Are you still awake, Julie?" Robin asked in the darkness.

"Yes."

"I know you haven't slept tonight. Are you okay?"

Apparently her tossing and turning had kept Robin awake and maybe Elizabeth too, and she felt guilty and wished she didn't have to share a room.

"I just have a lot on my mind, honey."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you for coming back late," the young woman said. "I was just worried. You guys scared all of us."

"I'm sorry, Robin," she said, though she wasn't. Robin Maxwell had a knack for always making herself the center of attention. "It won't happen again."

"How could you and Mike stay at your apartment for so long, and not worry about being caught by Bates?"

Julie shrugged against her blanket. Little did Robin know, that she and Donovan had spent very little time at her apartment.

"We just needed some time to ourselves."

"Are you guys okay? He's been so worried about you lately."

_Stop, Robin. Quit prying. It's none of your business…_

"I've been worried about you guys too." Elizabeth's voice echoed her mother's concern.

Julie answered neither of them.

"Julie?" Robin's voice was filled with fear.

It was obvious that the girls wouldn't let it rest until Julie answered, and she contemplated lying for now to pacify them.

"We decided not to be together anymore." Her answer was a lie, but she couldn't let them know that the decision had been hers alone. At least if they thought it was Donovan's decision too, then they wouldn't blame her.

"Why?" Robin demanded. "You love each other."

Julie wished she'd keep her voice down.

"I've known something was wrong for a while," Elizabeth admitted.

Sometimes the Starchild's telepathy seemed to border invasion of privacy, and Julie resented her trying to "sense" other people's business.

"Sometimes, things just don't work out, even when you still care about someone," she said. It sounded philosophical, and logical, but would either Robin or Elizabeth accept it.

"But you guys have been like a mother and father to me. I can't imagine you not being together… that you're not going to marry him like you said you were going to, " Robin said.

"Mike and I will always be there to give you advice. We just won't be together."

"Maybe you guys aren't thinking clearly," Elizabeth said. "You've been through a lot lately."

Julie stared at the alarm clock that lay before her. In a couple more hours the buzzer would ring, and she knew if the girls kept up their prying, she'd never get any sleep.

"I'm really tired right now. I'd like to sleep before daybreak."

"Goodnight, Julie," Robin and Elizabeth said in unison.

"Goodnight."


End file.
